Gov. Paul LePage has signed what he says is a limited Emergency Declaration that waives federal Department of Transportation rules and allows crews to work more hours, and Canadian crews to come in to help, if necessary.

Gov. Paul R. LePage is taking steps to allow additional crews from Canada to help restore power outages expected in the coming blizzard.

LePage has signed what he says is a limited Emergency Declaration that waives federal Department of Transportation rules and allows crews to work more hours, and Canadian crews to come in to help, if necessary.

Forecasters say the storm could be one of the worst in several decades. It's expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow in some areas, and wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour, producing white-out conditions along the coast.

LePage says he's been in touch with the state's major utilities. He says Central Maine Power and Bangor Hydro officials told him that they are prepared for outages, and have lined up contract crews to help if damage is widespread.